August 04, 2006
Friday AM

Hugs, smiles, ice cream and visits in the park.

Hot summer weather, a cool sea breeze, large shade trees, a picnic shelter and wading pool.

It must be the Edmonds City Park on the fourth Sunday of July-July 23, 2006, to be exact-and it must be the annual Ketchikan Reunion Picnic.

Photo Gallery 1. Arlene Creed Patterson and Eddie Creed 2. Arvild Hammer (partly cut off) and Judy Iverson Butler 3. Barbara and Bo Chernikoff 4. Barbara Johnson Perry, Bob Johnson, and Beverly Johnson Zaugg 5. Betty and Jim Hall and Evelyn Valentine 6. Candy Cloudy Bartsch, Chuck Cloudy and Bev Zaugg 7. Cara Benner Nygard and Eric Bodding 8. Carma and Tricia Oaksmith 9. Don Maddox and DD Gore 10. Eby Nell Reagan, left; DD Gore, right 11. George and Idell Parkhurst 12. Ginger VanGilder Schulz, Bud Cramer and Alice VanGilder Carner 13. Gladys Iverson Klose 14. Heather Robertson, Lynda Zaugg and Candy Cloudy Bartsch 15. Holly Hudson 16. Jean McGillvray Barry 17. Jim Wingren in red 18. Joan Cutler Mackie, left, and Jan McDonald Haynes 19. Joyce Carl Jolibois, left, and Joan Cutler Mackie 20. Judy Burt, Barbara Simpson Chernikoff, Toni Cramer Hansen, Carole Householder Radasch, Clarice Welch Boomer, Heather Robertson 21. Ketchikan Picnic 22. Left to right, Donald Casperson, Harold Casperson, Leif Copstead 23. Leland Daniels, left, and Norman Olsen 24. Lynda Zaugg and Candy Cloudy Bartsch 25. Picnic scene 26. Registration with Jody Lorenz Aegerter and Clarice Welch Boomer 27. Richard and Sharon Cruz Monrean 28. Roberta Seagran, left, and Jane Aus Leding 29. Steve Wright 30. Valerie Tatsuda

"It was hot, hot, hot," says Bev Zaugg, who attended the picnic from Ketchikan. "But there was a breeze off the water and we just kept moving from one shade tree to another."

Ginger Van Gilder Veerman Schulz, now of Seattle, also attended. "It was the first time I'd gone to the picnic in about 10 years," Schulz writes. "And I really enjoyed it. The first one I saw was my cousin, Bud Cramer. Saw Toni (Cramer) Hansen but didn't get to see Dick (Hansen). Next I saw Les Monsen from the class of '41; Bette Bartholomew, sister of Ralph Sr.; Jean Barry; Gladys (Iverson) Klose and her sister Judy (Iverson Butler)."

Schulz lists many others, too many to mention here.

This year was the 69th anniversary of the picnic, which started back in the 1930s at Woodland Park in Seattle, according to longtime former volunteer Lee Johnson. In those early days Lyle Blodgett, who worked for the U. S. Forest Service in Ketchikan, was the organizer.

Attendance was down this year, writes current chair person Valerie Tatsuda, adding this tends to happen in years that have five Sundays in July.

"Some people seem to have the idea the picnic is the LAST Sunday in July rather than the FOURTH," Tatsuda writes. "And the heat had been oppressive for several days-92-96-so some people just didn't want to go out." She estimates about 200-225 people attended this year.

But NEXT year, the 70th anniversary, will be a big deal. The Kayhi classes from the 1950s are already planning class reunions to coincide with the picnic.

"We will be starting soon to plan for it," writes Tatsuda. "But we'll need more volunteers for this endeavor."

To make next year's big celebration happen, Tatsuda is recruiting as much help as she can get. She can be contacted at Kpicnic@comcast.net.

She's looking forward to a big turnout.

Make your plans now!

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Ketchikan, Alaska